Arms Like Yours
by LolitaOfTheNight
Summary: I wonder if I'll ever find a love as sweet as I had with you.
1. Author Note

I'm really sorry about the lack of update, but I'm not really happy with this story right now. I'm planning to do a big overhaul, and re-write this. Thank you everyone for your fav's and reviews.


	2. Chapter 1

fem!romano= Maria

fem!veni= Arianna

belgium= Bella

AU, no nation names. Thanks for reading the revision!

**EDIT: fixed the slight grammatical error! Thanks!**

* * *

To this day, I'll laugh at that idiot. To this very day. We were in the park, the one right across our apartment. Antonio and I were merely walking around, holding hands, innocent. He had said something funny, and I laughed. A young girl walked up to the two of us, and she started murmuring to him in Spanish, sending me sly looks. Antonio's eyes got wide, and quickly excused himself in private to talk to her. I shot Antonio a look, but he shrugged me off. I sat down on a bench , and watched them talk. He thought the two of them were alone, ironically. He went to hold her, and I saw the way her face lit up. Ah... I think I get it now. I walked over to the two, and flew off as if she burned him. I kept a cool demeanor.

"Tonio? Who's this lovely girl? Cousin? Sister? Friend?" I decided to give him an out, just to see if he'd lie. He opened his mouth, but the girl spoke first. She flicked a few strands of hair, and paused, with a smirk on her face.

"I'm his mistress. You know, the woman he loves when you aren't around? Not familiar with the term? He talks about you all the time. He wishes he could leave you, since you're so mean to him," She said the last part with a slight drawl. "And he just feels like there's nothing left." I was silent. I looked at Antonio.

"Is this true?" He wouldn't speak.

"Cazzo codardo, SPEAK." I snarled at him.

"S-sí, Maria, but... I didn't want it this way..." He whispered. I turned to the girl. Looks-wise... She was my opposite. She had short choppy blond hair, and sharp green eyes.

"And who are you?... Since you obviously know who I am." I said. She just gave me a scoff.

"My name is Alice. I'm visiting from Britian." I turned away from her, and hit Antonio with an ugly slap. He held his face, looking alarmed.

"Obviously, you and I are over. Enjoy your smelly whore." I walked away as I heard her protest of how Antonio didn't stick up for her. Stupid man. I went back to... the house. Shit, where could I live? Who would take me? I'd have to think about that for another time. For now, I grabbed everything I owned into my suitcase. Now was when I started to cry. I eventually had to stop. This... This was too much. I looked at my hands, and noticed my promise ring from him. He claimed we really would be something someday. I could get some cash for this, I think. And that stupid necklace too. I sure as hell wouldn't be giving any of this back, may as well get use out of it. Once I had everything packed, I looked around. I walked over to the tiny kitchen. I took out a stack of plates, and just looked at them. It seemed almost surreal that just this morning, I had put the dishes away while he made breakfast. I took a colorful plate, and threw it onto the ground. It shattered, and I felt somewhat satisfied. It took about 5 plates before I decided to move onto the living room. I noticed the picture of the two of us in highschool, and slammed the frame down hard. The glass shattered, and I decided to throw the frame at the wall. At that moment, Antonio walked in with the British girl. She went on about how crazy I was, and Antonio, weren't you going to do anything? Antonio, stop your ex! I felt cold amusement as I walked out.

I sat down on my suitcases as I flipped through the phone. I needed to get somewhere,soon. It was getting dark. My pride was starting to cripple me, I couldn't ask any of these people for help. I couldn't call Bella or Arianna, I'd be physically crushed by the mothering and sympathy. I lingered over Gilbert Beilschmidt's number. Antonio had mentioned how the two weren't exactly speaking right now, for some incident or another. He had given me his number "just in case", and he gave me some line. Our sisters happened to be dating, so we came across each other occassionally. It was safe, and he would know not to be an idiot about it (I hope). I called him, and he answered with a bleary hello.

"Ciao."

"Who's calling? Don't be a smartass." He said. You could almost hear him frown.

"It's Maria Vargas. I need a place to stay. Can you provide, or what?" He started laughing.

"Oh my, Miss Vargas! Needing a man to help you? And me, of all people? It'd certainly have to be at a price..." I felt like crying again. This was stupid.

"I don't need any of your mouth, I'll just go somewhere else."

"Where would that be, precisely?"

"...Please just pick me up. I had a rough night." He was quiet. It had been awhile since we had really seen each other, since he had been on some exotic Europe trip. We were decent friends when we were kids however, kind of a love-hate relationship though. He was quiet at my response, and asked where I was at. I told him the address, and he pulled up a few minutes later in a beat up Volkswagen. He walked out of the car, and I was in shock. He had gotten a lot more muscular, and taller, which was odd since he was considerably younger than me. He took my bags, and set them in the trunk.

"Are you coming?" He said, smiling slightly. As he drove home, he asked the reason why I didn't have my own car.

"I shared a car with Antonio. It saved money." I said stiffly.

"Well, why did you leave? Don't you live with him?" I looked at him, and scowled.

"Don't talk to me about him." He smirked.

"So this will be a long-term thing I guess? Not all right in paradise? Not too smart to go to another man over a silly fight."

"Stop the car."

"What?"

"Did I fucking stutter? Stop the car. I'm going to a hotel." He wouldn't stop, to my irritation.

"What actually happened?..." He said. Gilbert seemed worried, suprisingly.

"He's apparently in love with some Brit, but don't worry, it's over a silly fight." I spat at him. He pulled into the driveway of a tiny home.

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm a dick. I'm a huge dick." He snapped at me with equal venom.

"Ugh, whatever... Where am I sleeping?" He walked me inside his house.

"My room. Don't throw a fit, I'm sleeping on the couch." He turned away.

"O-oh. Well... Thanks." I said awkwardly. I looked around at his house. All the furniture was sleek, but approachable. The main color scheme seemed to be black, red, white, and dark woods. He walked into his room (where ever that was), and I pulled out my cellphone to text Arianna. I let her know what had happened today, in all the excruciating detail she required. She replied almost instantly.

':((( I'm so sorry! Sorella, we must meet tomorrow! Why didn't you you come over here? D: Luci and I could have been great!'

I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to hear about how he was horrible, I already knew that. I just needed some time to sit, and bury my emotions. I didn't really want to face reality yet. I saw that Gilbert had walked out of his room.

"I cleaned it up. Go sleep, if you want." He murmered. He went to go sit on the couch. I looked up at him.

"Why are you doing this? It's really nice, don't get me wrong, but we haven't exactly kept in touch." I said. He got this odd dreamy look to his eyes.

"When I came back, I realized I wanted my childhood back, like when my dad was still around, and it wasn't so weird to see my little sister smile. I remember being a little punk kid, and thinking you were the coolest person ever, even if you were a girl. I thought you were a good friend, I was hoping to have that friendship back again. If you need a place to be, so be it." He started to grin. I felt my face heating up as he smiled at me. Oh god, that was so... sweet.

"Plus, I... already knew about Alice, so I kind of owe you. I found out about her, that's why Antonio and I stopped talking." I froze. He mentioned Gilbert and him not talking months ago.

"How long?" I whispered. He looked down at me sympathetically.

"Look,you should head to bed, you've had a-" I stopped him.

"How long?" I said, more clearly this time.

"... At least 5 months." I felt rage pump through me.

"Ah, so that's how fucking stupid I am, huh? I'm not some exotic new treasure, but that's okay, since I treated him like shit! Chigi!" I spat. I started pacing around his living room.

"Look, you need to calm down, okay? I don't really know how to deal with angry women..." I huffed, irritated.

"I'm going to bed."

"My room's to the right, first door." He said. He held his hands up like he was surrendering. I stalked away with one of my bags, and flung open the door to his room. His bed was initially the first thing I noticed, it was some giant, king sized bed. His walls were plastered with different band posters, and in the corner sat a small desk. I closed the door awkwardly, and changed into my pajamas. I stuck my head out the door. I noticed he was working on something, like a drawing. I'll ask him in the morning, I guess. I jumped into his bed, and it actually felt... really nice. His blankets were soft, and smelled like cologne and ciggerates. It was new, different from the soap I always smelled from Antonio. I would never be in his bed again. I hated today. I curled up, and fell asleep.

* * *

Gilbert crept into his room quietly, and looked over his new houseguest. She was so tiny. It was crazy to him how powerful this girl really was. He grabbed the pen he originally needed, and walked back into his living room. His phone started ringing, and his sister's picture showed up.

"Ja?"

"Be kind to fratella, please! She's damaged! I wish I could be there, but Luciana said it's too late to go out, and fratella would get angry, but she needs me, so I feel really bad and I had to sneak to get Ana's phone and it's all so horrible!" Arianna wailed tearfully. Gilbert sighed. He almost preferred her sister's temper.

"I promise she'll be fine, okay? You obviously seem to know she's over here, and I'll keep her safe. First thing tomorrow, you can come see her. I'm being nothing but a gentleman, she will be completely intact. She can stay here as long as she needs."

"Well... alright." Arianna sniffled.

"It's late, you should get to bed, or at least off of Luciana's phone, before she gets you for "harassing" me." He said with a laugh. She agreed, and bid him goodnight. Gilbert put away his phone, and hummed to himself as he looked over his drawing. He did commissons for anyone, and anything. He had done tattoo designs to advertisements. He used a variety of medias, and right now he was doing a fountain pen drawing of Arianna for his sister's birthday. He did a picture of Luciana herself for Arianna's birthday, which was a few months prior. Gilbert felt rather pleased with himself. He had went on his large trip to Europe to gain some inspiration. He had enjoyed the trip, since he had mainly visited Lubek, Germany, the place of his birth. Gilbert didn't really have a happy childhood, but he still enjoyed his visit. He took his pen, and outlined more of the drawing. Once he was done, he started to color the drawing with paint, but then he realized the time, so he eased himself onto the couch. He flicked off his lamp, and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 2

Maria woke up the next morning, at first unfamiliar with where she was. Once she realized, she felt a vague type of depression she attempted to shrug off. She padded out into the living room, where Gilbert slept, lanky limbs spilling off of the couch. Her eyes flitted over him. In all clear honesty, she always found him to be very attractive, but he wasn't the type one could admit that so easily to. The years were kind to him, she thought. Maria looked into the kitchen, and saw a box of pancake mix. It was a brand Maria was very familiar with, so she decided to make pancakes. As she watched the food, she heard Gilbert walk into the kitchen.

"Mm, thanks for making pancakes, liebling." He murmered sleepily. He walked up, and hoisted himself up onto the counter beside her. She took the spatula and smacked his leg gently.

"Get off of there, food goes onto the counter, not you." She said, not taking her eyes off of the food. She went to flip the pancakes.

"I'm not your girlfriend, so don't call me sweetie either." Gilbert's mouth quirked into a slight smile.

"But making me food, sleeping in my bed, touching me... I don't know, it could be taken out of context." He noted how her face heated up slightly.

"Idiot, that was just the... You offered!" Maria whipped her head to look at him, and scowled.

"...Here are you stupid, platonic pancakes." She shoved the plate towards him roughly, and he started laughing. She stomped into the living room, but she noticed some art on the imcoffee table. He was talking non-stop about something as he chewed food, but she just looked over the drawing, and realized it was her sister. Maria felt something akin to an odd type of jealousy. She grabbed the paper, and walked into the kitchen.

"Why are you drawing pictures of my lesbian sister?..." She said, giving him a look. He swallowed a big gulp.

"First off, stellar platonic pancakes. I'm a fan. (He shot Maria a smile that admittedly charmed her.) And it's a gift for Luci for her birthday. I drew a picture of my sister for Arianna for her birthday." Maria felt relief. She felt so stupid, why would she get jealous?

"...Since when do you draw then? And you're welcome with those pancakes."

"I started once I got out of highschool. I actually do draw for money. I've done quite a few different projects."

"That's really cool... I need to get a job. I need to pay rent for you." Maria murmered, more to herself. Gilbert saw a concerned look on her face, and walked over to her.

"Come hereee~..."

"No!"

"Come hereee~...!"

"Wh-NO!"

Gilbert had swooped Maria into a big hug, and simply laughed at how her fists pummeled him. He finally let go of her, and she stumbled back.

"What was that for?!"

"You needed it." He said simply.

"Don't worry, it'll be for some time before you need to pay rent. I have cash anyway, that's how I can be a starving artist." He laughed slightly at his own joke.

"Luci and I's Grandpa left behind a big sum, we got it split between the 2 of us, since we were his favorites." Maria would have never guessed, since neither flashed their apparent wealth.

"Still, it's the principle bullshit. I have to repay you somehow." Maria looked concerned again. Gilbert smiled, and leaned down towards her.

"Just keep making me platonic pancakes, okay?" He had ended up closer than he had intended, and the two were face to face. Both were silent, as they felt tension. A few moments passed, and they both broke away silently.

"Why was that so... not what I wanted?" The couple thought instaneously. Maria looked up at him, and he caught a rare, albeit slight, smile. She let out a nervous laugh.

"I-ah, I'm going to Arianna's." She said. He held two thumbs up, and simply nodded silently. Maria fled into Gilbert's bedroom, and he simply sank onto a chair.

"Why would I do that? She's just getting over a boyfriend... Ahhh, so stupid..." A few feet away, however, Maria was having different thoughts.

"Holy SHIT did I ever want to kiss him... Wowowow. Oh wow. I have never ever felt this before. Oh wow. He-oh-ah-ummm,wow." Maria felt exhilarated. But scared. What would she do? Would she even do anything? Could she? Did she even want to? These questions made her spin. How could she even think about dating someone so soon after Antonio? Maria almost felt disgusted with herself, if it wasn't for the fact he had cheated on her for almost a quarter of their relationship. She simply decided to get dressed for the day, she needed to get out of her unattractive pajamas. (Gilbert wanted to hold her and see if she felt as soft as the clouds printed on her pants.) She slid into jeans and a fashionable shirt.

"Well, I'm leaving now!" Maria hollered, as she walked quickly out. She decided to meet with Arianna at a resteraunt close to where Gilbert lived. It saved the awkward alone time with him. She needed to unravel to someone anyhow.


End file.
